Before I Set You Free
by adi-dion
Summary: Robin refuses to forget about Regina to save his wife, insisting they would find another way. Regina, as one last resort, knows exactly what she needs to do in order to help the man she loves.


Inspired by the 4x07 stills (and written before the oq sneak peek)  
>ladygalaxyj- thanks again for all the help, lovely!<p>

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><p>Telling Robin the truth doesn't help to ease what is weighing over her heart, quite the contrary. Avoiding him, pushing him away when he comes closer is easier. Much, <em>much<em> easier.

Regina feels defeated and lost. More than anything, she wants to help the man who stubbornly found his way into her heart, the man she fell madly in love with. She wants to help, even though it means losing her own happiness. Robin Hood is an honorable man, who is still bound to his wife; this is why she needs to help him but she failed.

She is in her vault again, the one place that has always been her sanctuary; Henry's fairytales book in her hands. Marian's fate was no longer in her hands but in Robin's. If he wanted to save his wife, he needed to move on and forget about the short time they spent together. Regina stated it loud and clear: there was nothing left she could do for his wife in her current state. Instead, she was trying to focus on the other mission ahead of her. _Operation Mongoose_.

When she flips the page, Regina's eyes meet the image of The Evil Queen the day Snow White was supposed to execute her. The memory brings tears to her eyes. Everything has changed since that day and yet, nothing had. She is still the villain, even when she is trying so hard to change.

A noise coming from the stairs startles her, forcing her to look away from the book. Her gaze quickly falls on no other than _him_.

"Milady," his voice is soft as he bows his head a little, desperately locking his eyes with hers, refusing to let the stubborn side in her push him away again.

Regina puts the book aside, almost challenging his gaze. "I already told you, there is nothing I can do to help Marian." She is pushing him away again, retreating back to her old ways, _their_ old ways. Robin has already turned to her for help and she let him down; she can't bear the look in his eyes – sadness filled with disappointment. She can't, so she looks away.

"I know, Regina." Her name rolls off his lips ever so gently; it makes her knees weak and her stomach flips with anticipation. "But I refuse to believe it," he continues, "I meant what I said. I trust you, and I _still_ have faith in you."

The determination and blind faith the outlaw has in her only makes Regina angry. She shakes her head as she stands up, meeting his gaze again but not breaking their eye contact this time even though it pains every single part in her body. "You have to accept that this is out of my hands now, Robin. Only an act of true love can thaw her. I meant what _I_ said, if you truly want to save her, you have to—"

"As opposed to what you may think," he immediately cuts her off before she can repeat what she already told him the other day. "I can't— I don't _want_ to forget about you."

She gets lost in his eyes when she hears it and she would lie if she says it doesn't warm her heart.

"We _will_ find another solution, Regina," he states, "and I have every intention to stay here and do the best I can to assist you."

The only time Regina has ever seen the outlaw so determined is when he promised to retrieve her heart. That time, there was a tiny glimmer of hope and he did manage to get it back, but the situation is much more complicated right now, and Robin is stubbornly refusing to accept what Regina has already realised after a few days of research and lack of sleep. Still, the outlaw trusts her, and the thought of letting him down yet again is unbearable.

Regina swallows up the lump in her throat. Yes, he still trusts her to help his wife. And if Robin is too stubborn and refuses to forget about her willingly, there is one thing she _can_ do to help.

Turning away from him, she nods her head. "As you wish," she mumbles, conjuring two cups and a coffee pot. She hears Robin's sigh of relief when she doesn't reject his offer for assistance, but Regina is too busy slipping her hand into the nearest shelf, breathing deeply as she pours coffee into the two mugs before she slips a potion into one of them.

She pulls herself together and turns to face the man with a soft smile, offering him a cup, which the outlaw gladly takes with a breath of "thank you." Surely he wouldn't be thanking her if he knew what she was about to do to him.

As soon as Robin takes a sip and his cup is far enough from his lips, Regina puts down her mug, meeting his deep blue eyes as she raises her hand and freezes the man in front of her in place, just moments before the potion starts to take effect.

Closing the short distance between the two, Regina's hands gently frame his jaw, thumbs running against his stubbled cheeks before she leans in and kisses him, softly and lovingly, for what she knows is the last time. Pulling back, she meets his eyes, knowing he is aware of and hears everything she says. "I love you, Robin," she smiles, finally confessing what she slowly realised over the time they spent away from each other. A tear slips down her cheek as her face grows more serious. "Which is why I _have_ to do this. I'm sorry."

The confusion in his eyes hurts her like a dagger stabbing her heart, but Regina sees no other option. His honorable decision to stay with his wife tortures him, for he is still in love with another woman— her. Now, he can save Marian and live his life with her with a clear conscience.

Regina unfreezes him just as her other hand raises in a quick, swift motion. "Goodbye, Robin," she whispers, letting the tears fall freely down her cheeks when he vanishes in a cloud of purple smoke. The coffee mug in his hand shatters into pieces against the floor, mirroring her breaking heart over the man she loves.


End file.
